Effective communication and active listening are key. Facilitate open discussions to ensure all perspectives are heard and identify common goals to unite the team. Use data and user research to guide decisions, showing how various approaches align with user needs and business objectives. Encourage collaboration and compromise to turn conflict into constructive dialogue, leading to a more refined and effective UX strategy.

When stakeholders clash over UX direction, my approach would be to first ensure that the conversation stays user-centered. I’d start by gathering feedback and concerns from all sides, focusing on how each viewpoint aligns with user needs and business goals. Using data—such as user research, usability testing, and analytics—helps ground discussions in objective insights.

Listened to both sides and highlighted common ground. By focusing on user data, I guided the conversation toward a solution that balanced their visions while staying true to the users' needs. The tension eased, and we moved forward with clarity.

Present user research, usability testing results, or industry benchmarks that support the UX direction you believe in. Show how it aligns with business goals such as customer retention, revenue growth, or brand positioning. Remind stakeholders that UX decisions should prioritize solving user problems. Use personas or real user feedback to highlight the end-user perspective.

Our goal, as a designer is to have the most user friendly designs implemented. Different approaches that we may take to influence the stakeholders when there is a conflict of opinions while taking Design decisions in a cross functional setting: Some times, 1. Be assertive in what you want to be implemented 2. Prove your point with data 3. Provide examples of similar / comparable / analogical use cases 4. Show some credible references such as relevant UX laws. Factors that you consider to select any of the above approaches: 1. Willingness of stakeholders to appreciate the rationale (Try use cases examples) 2. Ego problems (Data driven approach) 3. Team dynamics 4. Resources at hand (time, budget etc.) 5. Stakeholders' background